Method of felting two tobacco fillers in a cigar or cigar rod

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a method of producing cigar rods, the filler for the smokable part and the filler for the mouth part being supplied separately to a press well; between the separately supplied fillers there will be a more or less pronounced separating plane, which decreases the strength of the cigar rod; to increase said strength the fillers must engage or felt together at the separating plane and according to the invention the amount of interengagement of the fillers can be controlled.

United States Patent [191 Maas [ 1 3,858,593 [451 Jan. 7, 1975 [54]METHOD OF FELTING TWO TOBACCO FILLERS IN A CIGAR OR CIGAR ROD [75]Inventor: Henrious Johannes Maas,

Eindhoven, Netherlands [73] Assignee: Arenco-P;M.B. N.V., Best,

Netherlands [22] Filed: Jan. 11, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 432,523

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 217,445, Jan.13, 197 2,

abandoned.

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Jan. 8, 1971 Netherlands 7100272[52] US. Cl 131/81 A, 131/39, 131/44, 131/46 [51] Int. Cl A240 01/02,A24c 01/24 8 Field of Search 131/81 A, 81 R, 39, 44, 131/61 B, 46, 14

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 438,903 10/1890 Thompson131/44 X 520,881 6/1894 Hagen 1. 1131/81 A 2,329,169 9/1943 Wheeler131/81 R 3,232,296 2/1966 Dreher 131/39 X 3,515,147 6/1970 Sledge (:1ul. 131/46 X Primary Examiner-WnL H. Grieh Assistant Examiner-John F.Pitrelli Attorney, Agent. or FirmSnyder, Brown and Ramik [57] ABSTRACTThe invention relates to a method of producing cigar rods, the fillerfor the smokable part and the filler for the mouth part being suppliedseparately to a press well; between the separately supplied fillersthere will be a more or less pronounced separating plane, whichdecreases the strength of the cigar rod; to increase said strength thefillers must engage or felt together at the separating plane andaccording to the invention the amount of interengagement of the fillerscan be controlled.

8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures METHOD OF FELTING TWO TOBACCO FILLERS IN ACIGAR OR CIGAR ROD This is a continuation, of application Ser. No.217,445 filed Jan. 13, 1972, now abandoned.

This invention relates to a method of producing cigar rods, the fillerfor the mouth part and the filler for the smokable part of the rod beingsupplied separately to a press well comprising a punch mechanism whichcompresses the fillers introduced into the well and pushes them.

If a cigar rod is made from two separately supplied tobaccos or from atobacco filler and a filler of filter material, there will be a more orless pronounced separating plane between the smokable part and the mouthpart. Although the cigar strength is provided by the wrapper to someextent, it is nevertheless essential that such strength should beincreased by the tiller. To this end, the two types of tobacco ortobacco and filter material respectively must engage'or felt together atthe separating plane. The degree of felting will vary with the type offiller.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a method in whichthe amount of interengagement of the tobaccos or tobacco and filtermaterial respectively at the separating plane can be controlled.

To this end, according to the invention, the separately supplied fillersremain separate in the well over a predetermined well length extendingfrom the feed end.

Another object of the invention is to provide a system with which thismethod can be performed.

To this end, the system is provided with a press well comprising a punchmechanism and at least two ducts for the separate supply of the fillers,characterised in that the well contains at least one partition ofpredetermined length extending from the place at the beginning of thewell where the feed ducts meet.

Every type of tiller used will now give a definite amount of felting oncompression in the well. To make the system suitable for treatingdifferent types of filler intended for the mouth and smokable parts ofthe cigar respectively, it is preferable for the longitudinal partitiondisposed in the well to be replaceable by a partition of a differentlength.

In another preferred embodiment of the system according to theinvention, the partition is disposed in the well so as to be adjustablein the longitudinal direction of said partition.

The felting of the two types of tobacco or filter material and tobaccorespectively is also dependent upon the pressure exerted thereon in thewell. In order that the contents in each part of the well can be pressedseparately, a preferred embodiment of the system is such that the punchmechanism for the various well parts separated by one or more partitionsis provided with its own spring-loaded punch and the punch springs areseparately adjustable.

The invention will now be explained with reference to drawingsillustrating preferred embodiments of the system and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the system for pressing cigar rods, inwhich two cigar rods with the lighting ends facing one another arepressed at a time.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 11-11 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section on the line lIl-Ill in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 shows two cigar rods still connected at the lighting ends, with adifferent type of tobacco in the mouth end from the tobacco in thesmokable part.

Referring to FIG. 1, reference 1 denotes the press well, in which twocigar rods disposed with the lighting ends facing one another arepressed simultaneously. The press system 2 in this embodiment consistsof two interconnected punches 3 for pressing the amounts of tobaccointended for the smokable part of the cigar and two interconnectedpunches 4 for pressing the amount of tobacco intended for the mouth end.The punches 3 are interconnected via a spring holder 5, while thepunches 4 are each connected to a pressing mechanism 6 via a springholder 7. The pre-stressing of each spring in the spring holders isadjustable by means of a nut 8. Near each of the longitudinal walls, thepress well 1 is provided with adjustable partitions 9 interconnected bya yoke. Each partition 9 partly divides the working space of the well 1covered by the adjacent punches 3 and 4.

FIG. 2 shows that the tobacco for the smokable part of the cigar dropsinto a duct 12 via a hopper 11 from a conveyor belt 10, while thetobacco for the mouth end of the cigar is introduced via a feed pipe 13into ducts l4 situated on either side of the duct 12. A flap 15 can shutthe outlet of the ducts l2 and 14 if necessary. At the outlet of thepress well, a cutter 17 cuts off the exact quantity of the pressedtobacco for a cigar rod, and this quantity can be pressed, for example,into a U-shaped synthetic wrapper used in a strand wrapping machine.

FIG. 3 shows the various tobaccos in the press well 1, the partsintended for the smokable part and for the mouth end still beingseparated by the partition 9.

The system operates as follows. The tobacco intended for the smokablepart and for the mouth end respectively is supplied by the conveyor belt10 and the pipe 13 and drops into the ducts l2 and 14 respectively. Thetobacco then reaches the part of the well 1 situated in front of thepunches 3 and 4. When sufficient tobacco has been supplied, the flap 15closes, whereupon the pressure mechanism 6 moves all the punchessimultaneously to the left in P10. 1. The tobacco is thus pressed to agiven density, the pressing force being dependent upon the force of thespring associated with the punches as adjusted by the nuts 8. Thepressing force for the tobacco intended for the smokable part must beset to a different value from that for the tobacco for the mouth end.The two amounts of tobacco are kept separate by means of the adjustablepartition 9 over a given length of the well until the tobaccos come intocontact with one another at the end of the partition 9 and can combineor felt together to varying extents in the last part of the well. Theamount of felting depends on the length of the well over which thetobaccos are not separated or, in other words, the position of thepartition 9. At the end of the well 1 the cutter 17 cuts off the exactamount of pressed tobacco and tobacco can then be supplied again afterthe punches have been withdrawn and the flap l5 opened.

FlG. 4 shows two cigar rods which have not yet been separated and thelighting ends of which face one another. It will be apparent that themouth end has a different tobacco from the smokable part, the said twotypes of tobacco merging to varying extents at the separating plane S.

It will be understood, that instead of using a different type of tobaccofor the mouth end of the cigar rod, it is possible to substitute filtermaterial for said tobacco.

Finally the invention is not restricted to producing cigars made frommerely two types of tobacco, because a plurality of types is alsopossible, for which a corresponding plurality partitions and punchesneed to be used in the system for pressing cigar rods.

What I claim is:

1. In a cigar making machine, in combination:

an elongate press well structure having a space at one end thereof foraccumulating packed cigar material; cutter means associated with saidspace for cutting off packed cigar material accumulated therein; firstsupply means communicating with said well for discharging smokingtobacco material into a first longitudinally extending zone of saidwell; second supply means communicating with said well for dischargingmouth part filler material into a second longitudinally extending zoneof said well, said first and second longitudinally extending zones beingside-by-side and each leading to said space whereat packed cigarmaterial is accumulated;

punch means movable in said zones for selectively feeding said materialscontinuously and at the same time from both of said zones into saidspace continuously to interfelt said materials as they are continuouslyfed together; and

partition wall means for separating said zones longitudinally thereof toselected points relative to said one end of the press well structureselectively to control felting of said smoking tobacco material and saidmouth part filler material as they are accumulated in said space.

2. In a cigar making machine as defined in claim 1 wherein saidpartition wall means comprises an elongate partition wall slidablyreceived in said press well structure and means for selectivelypositioning said partition wall in said press well structure.

3. In a cigar making machine as defined in claim 2 wherein said punchmeans comprises a first punch member slidable in said first zone and asecond punch member slidable in said second zone, common drive means forcontinuously moving'said punch members and means for separatelyadjusting punching pressure exerted by said first and second punchmembers.

4. In a cigar making machine as defined in claim 1 wherein saidpartition wall means comprises at least two partition wall members ofdifferent lengths and selectively positionable in said press wellstructure.

5. In a cigar making machine as defined in claim 4 wherein said punchmeans comprises a first punch member slidable in said first zone and asecond punch member slidable in said second zone, common drive means forcontinuously moving said punch members and means for separatelyadjusting punching pressure exerted by said first and second punchmembers.

6. In a cigar making machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said punchmeans comprises a first punch member slidable in said second zone,common drive means for continuously moving said punch members and meansfor separately adjusting punching pressure exerted by said first andsecond punch members.

7. The method for producing cigar rods in which the cigar rod includes alengthwise section of smoking material merging and interfelted with alengthwise section of mouth part filler material, which comprises thesteps of:

a. separately forming longitudinally extending zones of said smokingtobacco material and of said mouth part filler material and axiallypunching said materials intermittently to move both of said zonescontinuously and together;

b. contacting said moving zones in side-by-side relation andaccumulating the materials in a rodforming space;

c. cutting off the accumulated materials in said rodforming space; and

d. selectively controlling the longitudinal extent of the contacting ofstep (b) for selectively controlling the interfelting of said materials.

8..The method as defined in claim 7 wherein the axial punching of step(a) is separately pressure-controlled for the two zones.

1. In a cigar making machine, in combination: an elongate press wellstructure having a space at one end thereof for accumulating packedcigar material; cutter means associated with said space for cutting offpacked cigar material accumulated therein; first supply meanscommunicating with said well for discharging smoking tobacco materialinto a first longitudinally extending zone of said well; second supplymeans communicating with said well for discharging mouth part fillermaterial into a second longitudinally extending zone of said well, saidfirst and second longitudinally extending zones being side-by-side andeach leading to said space whereat packed cigar material is accumulated;punch means movable in said zones for selectively feeding said materialscontinuously and at the same time from both of said zones into saidspace continuously to interfelt said materials as they are continuouslyfed together; and partition wall means for separating said zoneslongitudinally thereof to selected points relative to said one end ofthe press well structure selectively to control felting of said smokingtobacco material and said mouth part filler material as they areaccumulated in said space.
 2. In a cigar making machine as defined inclaim 1 wherein said partition wall means comprises an elongatepartition wall slidably received in said press well structure and meansfor selectively positioning said partition wall in said press wellstructure.
 3. In a cigar making machine as defined in claim 2 whereinsaid punch means comprises a first punch member slidable in said firstzone and a second punch member slidable in said second zone, commondrive means for continuously moving said punch members and means forseparately adjusting punching pressure exerted by said first and secondpunch members.
 4. In a cigar making machine as defined in claim 1wherein said partition wall means comprises at least two partition wallmembers of different lengths and selectively positionable in said presswell structure.
 5. In a cigar making machine as defined in claim 4wherein said punch means comprises a first punch member slidable in saidfirst zone and a second punch member slidable in said second zone,common drive means for continuously moving said punch members and meansfor separately adjusting punching pressure exerted by said first andsecond punch members.
 6. In a cigar making machine as defined in claim 1wherein said punch means comprises a first punch member slidable in saidsecond zone, common drive means for continuously moving said punchmembers and means for separately adjusting punching pressure exerted bysaid first and second punch members.
 7. The method for producing cigarrods in which the cigar rod includes a lengthwise section of smokingmaterial merging and interfelted with a lengthwise section of mouth partfiller material, which comprises the steps of: a. separately forminglongitudinally extending zones of said smoking tobacco material and ofsaid mouth part filler material and axially punching said materialsintermittently to move both of said zones continuously and together; b.contacting said moving zones in side-by-side relation and accumulatingthe materials in a rod-forming space; c. cutting off the accumulatedmaterials in said rod-forming space; and d. selectively controlling thelongitudinal extent of the contacting of step (b) for selectivelycontrolling the interfelting of said materials.
 8. The method as definedin claim 7 wherein the axial punching of step (a) is separatelypressure-controlled for the two zones.